The best K-drama.
Hoang Xuan Lam | vallejo, CA. USA | 02/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"if you loves K-drama, you can't missed this series. It was one of the best DVD ever. KWON SANG WOO & CHOI JI WOO gives their best performent in this series. They're so natural, so romantic, so so good together. Their kisses, their touches, their togetherness was so real. You can't help but fall-in love with them. The way KWON SANG WOO loves CHOI JI WOO was so dear, so gentle. It makes you cry your heart out. This's the LOVE STORY you must see."
Stairway to Heaven
Peter Plevritis | 04/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Stairway to Heaven - What can I say about this series - In a few words - GREAT - TERRIFIC - LOVED IT. You must understand the series is about 20 hours long - at some points you are crying and some points you get angry with all the crazy family issues that take place. The Step mom is EVIL - the Father is a DUD (he needs acting classes), The main characters ROCK. Towards the end you will cry and you will laugh. I also recommend "Winter Sonata""
Little overdone; Could have been great.
Jaewoo Kim | Santa Monica, CA | 12/28/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This drama is a classic case of a drama that went 5-7 episodes too long (there are 20 total episodes).
Apparently, this drama has taken some of the best elements of "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata" and added some originality. And it works at many levels. Its music is very memorable. The acting is superb and Choi Ji Woo gave the best performance of her career especially as a blind Jung Suh.
There are many memorable scenes and lines which render you helpless from the urge to shed tears. If you like a good love story, then this drama will leave little wanting.
The problem is this drama has redundant scenes and themes that become tiresome after about 5 cycles. For example, Jisoo (JungSuh) repeatedly commits to Chulsoo (TaeHwa) and swears off seeing SongJoo, only to see SongJoo again for about 8 more times until she finally makes her choice. The drama of her resisting seeing SongJoo wore off after about 5th time, after which you wish she would get things going already. But that dosen't happen until 3 episodes later.
One of the main antagonist is played by Kim Tae Hee who poseesses possibly the most perfect face of any actress. Scientists who study beauty based on the Golden Rato (1.618) have concluded Kim TaeHee posesses the most perfect beautiful face. Her role as Yuri was her cameo role and she became a major star despite playing an evil antagonist in this drama.
One of the most memorable scenes was in episode 18, when blind JungSuh and SongJoo meet for Jungsuh to break off their relationship due to her blindness. Jungsuh does everything she could to hide her blindness and tells SongJoo that she has moved on and he should marry someone else. SongJoo, knowing full well she is blind and her desire to unburden him of her blindness, falsely and heartwrenchingly agrees.
The other memorable scene is when TaeHwa meets blind Junsuh for the last time before he sacrificies himself so Jungsuh could see. TaeHwa lies he will be moving to Paris so it will be diffiult for them to meet again. When blind JungSuh sweetly insists they should meet again and exchange letters, he reluctantly says "yes", knowing full well that was their last possible meeting.
TaeHwa, beautifully played by Shin Hyun Joon, was the most interesting character. His last words were: "I was born to a devil in this hellish world. JungSuh was the only person who loved and cared for me. She made my life worth living and there is nothing I will not do for her. Through my sacrifice for JungSuh I will be entering heaven from this hellish world"."